The present invention relates to a system for the positioning of ski boots on skis that can customize the pitch, roll, height, yaw, linear and lateral positions of a ski boot relative to a ski.
Snow skiing is a sport in which the participant navigates down a snow covered hill by wearing boots that are attached to skis by bindings. People naturally have different stances as a result of their anatomy. Consequently it is beneficial to performance, safety, and comfort to allow the user to separately and simultaneously customize their pitch, roll, height, yaw, linear, and lateral placement of the ski boot on the ski (hereinafter called xe2x80x9cparametersxe2x80x9d).
Pitch is defined as the height of the front relative to the rear of the boot. Because people""s legs vary in length and flexibility, individual""s preference for pitch vary. Currently, pitch is determined by the boot manufacturer and can be customized to a limited degree by grinding the sole of the boot. Another method for altering pitch is disclosed by DeRocco et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,934. DeRocco et al. disclose a ski having a binding mounting portion for angling the pitch orientation only of a boot relative to a ski.
Roll, also called cant, is defined as the height of the inner relative to the outer edge of the boot. People who are knock-kneed, people who are bow legged, and everyone in between have unique rolls. Currently, all bindings and binding mounts create a zero degree roll. Boots allow for limited roll customization through mechanisms that alter the cuff angle relative to the shoe of the boot, and by grinding the sole of the boot. Efforts have been made to improve the range of customization with varying success. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,293,702 to Miyoshi et al. discloses a boot having a bottom surface allowing the attachment of members to selectively alter the lateral position, longitudinal alignment, and/or cant of a ski boot relative to a ski. Miyoshi et al.""s disclosure applies only to the modification of a ski boot and not of a ski.
Height is defined as the distance from the base of the boot to the base of the ski. People""s legs can differ in length, which means that the weight distribution between their feet can be unequal. Commercially available xe2x80x9cplatesxe2x80x9d can raise the skier significantly off the snow. However, current art is not designed to equalize weighting between the feet. Grinding the base of the boot can create limited variation. U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,139 to Germann discloses a ski boot with a height-adjustable foot-bed. Germann""s disclosure applies only to the modification of a ski boot and not of a ski.
Linear placement is defined as placement of the boot up and down the length of the ski. Lateral placement is defined as the placement of the boot within the width of the ski. Linear and lateral placement can compensate for changes in the center of pressure (the point under the foot the optimal placement of which optimizes control) caused by other changes, and allows the skier to change the skis performance to his/her personal liking. Both linear and lateral placement can be altered by incorrectly mounting the binding. Binding manufacturers do not recommend this practice.
Yaw is defined as the rotation of the foot around the ankle. Generally people are slightly xe2x80x9cduck footedxe2x80x9d with an average yaw of approximately fifteen degrees out. However, the yaw of skiers varies from those who are xe2x80x9cpigeon-toedxe2x80x9d to those who are extremely xe2x80x9cduck-footed.xe2x80x9d Due to this natural variation, yaw is of particular importance in properly adjusting the stance of a skier and currently all bindings require a zero degree yaw and have no means to alter yaw. Slight variations can be achieved by incorrectly mounting the bindings however, binding manufacturers do not recommend this practice.
The ability to deal with all these placement characteristics is important to performance, safety, and comfort. A need exists for a mechanism to allow alteration of the above parameters and in particular yaw alteration, either separately or simultaneously with other parameters, that does not require modification of the specific boot of a user.
The present invention involves the design of a method and apparatus that allows a user to individually or simultaneously customize the pitch, roll, height, yaw, linear placement and lateral placement of his/her boots on his/her skis. This system allows the user to stand in a position while skiing that is closer to his/her natural position thereby improving comfort, performance, and safety. As opposed to the limited variation in only some parameters described by current art, this invention allows significant variation in all individual parameters and simultaneous customization of all parameters. This simultaneity is important because of its increased ease to the skier and because altering any one parameter can change the center of pressure creating the need for additional changes until the perfect combination of adjustments is made. In particular, the system allows for the alteration of the yaw of the ski boot alone or in combination with any other parameter. Although it is most applicable to downhill snow skiing, this invention can also be used with other snow sports, such as snowboarding or cross-country skiing.
Additionally, it is recognized that there currently exists no clear way to measure many of the necessary changes in pitch, roll, height, yaw, linear, and lateral placement that this system allows. Therefore, the invention describes a measuring device and guidelines to aid in the determination of all appropriate customizations.